In recent years, a noncontact close proximity transfer technique has been widely used. As an example, noncontact IC card (to be referred to as an REID (Radio Frequency-Identification) card hereinafter) integrating an REID circuit is available. By taking advantage of easy access between apparatuses, the REID card has been used as, for example, a train ticket.
In the field of such noncontact close proximity transfer technique, although the communication distance is short, studies for increasing the data transfer rate are advancing.
As a communication method for noncontact close proximity transfer, NFC (Near Field Communication) using electromagnetic induction, communication using an induced electric field, and the like are available. Mounting the noncontact close proximity transfer technique on notebook PCs, cellular phones, digital cameras, printers, and the like is expected to simplify data transfer between the apparatuses, and to improve user convenience.
On the other hand, there has been proposed a print image transfer technique such as PictBridge as a technique of implementing print processing by directly connecting a digital camera (to be referred to as a DSC hereinafter) and a printer, and inputting a print instruction on a display device generally provided for the DSC.
In a DSC and printer adopting the print image transfer technique, when the DSC is connected to the printer, it is possible to use the display device of the DSC as a means for inputting various instructions including, in particular, an instruction to select an image to be printed. This eliminates the need for providing, for the printer side, a dedicated display device to check an image to be printed, thereby achieving cost reduction of the printer.
It is possible to print an image included in the DSC with easier operation by combining those techniques (noncontact close proximity transfer technique and print image transfer technique). More particularly, when the digital camera and printer each having a noncontact close proximity transfer function are only brought close to each other, the print image transfer protocols of both the apparatuses are activated, thereby printing a desired image.
In contrast, in the case of such easy operation, the user is assumed to often bring the digital camera and printer into contact with each other and move them away from each other. It is, therefore, assumed that management of connection/disconnection of the protocol using the noncontact close proximity transfer technique and the print image transfer protocol becomes more complicated.
Note that Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-104512 discloses a configuration which measures the duration of the disconnection state of an IEEE802.11 wireless LAN protocol, and switches higher protocols of the wireless LAN protocol to a disconnection state based on the measured duration.
In the case of noncontact close proximity transfer, however, connection/disconnection often occurs in contrast to conventional wireless communication. It is, therefore, assumed that the following problems arise if the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-104512 is directly applied to the noncontact close proximity transfer protocol and print image transfer protocol.
For example, to transfer an image within a DSC by noncontact close proximity transfer to a printer and print it, the user selects, on the DSC, the image to be printed, and then brings the DSC close to the printer, thereby transferring the selected image to the printer and causing the printer to print it. Furthermore, to successively print another image, the user moves the DSC away from the printer to select the next image. At this time, the noncontact close proximity transfer protocol enters a “disconnection” state.
Note that the time required by the user to select an image differs depending on the user or the number of images as selection targets. For example, if the user is unfamiliar with the operation or if the number of images as selection targets is large, it takes time to select an image.
That is, the duration of the disconnection state of the noncontact close proximity transfer protocol due to image selection is variable. If, therefore, whether to switch the print image transfer protocol to a disconnection state is determined based on the duration of the disconnection state of the noncontact close proximity transfer protocol, the print image transfer protocol may or may not enter the disconnection state when selecting an image to be printed. That is, it may be necessary or unnecessary to execute connection processing by the print image transfer protocol.
The time required to execute the connection processing by the print image transfer protocol has a direct influence on a print processing time. Therefore, the print processing time may be long or short, thereby deteriorating user operability.